The 50 Best Horror Movies You've Never Seen (2014)

A stroll down horror's memory lane, 19 July 2018

I'll get to the contents of the film's list in a second, but overall, I enjoyed this stroll down horror's memory lane. For me, I've seen the vast majority of these movies. And those I haven't, for one reason or another, I have no desire. The doc moves at a nice pace and the "experts", fans, and insiders are interesting enough. There's not much to complain regarding the film's presentation. I suppose that if I had to pick one negative with the way things are presented it would be with some of P J Soles commentary. It's a bit groan-inducing in spots. 

It's difficult to put together one of these lists and make everyone happy. What you call a hidden gem, I might have seen a dozen times. Or something you love, I might find retched. So, here are a few of my arguments and agreements with the list of 50 movies presented:

- I'll start with a few of the films I completely agree with. These are films that would easily appear on a similar list if I put one together: When a Stranger Calls, Motel Hell, April Fools Day, Lemora (shocked to see it here), Exorcist III (very underrated), Alice Sweet Alice, Repulsion, Audition (probably my top ranked movie on the entire list), The Descent, and Night of the Hunter (even though I'm not sure it's really horror).

- A few movies I would never put on this list: Valentine (hated it!), The Brides of Dracula (it's good, but there are better, equally obscure Hammer films I would include), Halloween III (who doesn't know about this movie), Tourist Trap (fun enough, but not as good as this doc would have you believe), and Food of the Gods (really?).

I'll end this with a list of 20 films I would add to the titular 50. It's a non-US heavy list, but I've tried to stay away from the better known movies from the likes of Bava, Argento, or Fulci. In no real order:

1. The House with Laughing Windows
2. Eyes Without a Face
3. The Island of Lost Souls
4. Mad Love
5. Le Boucher
6. Onibaba
7. The Curse of the Crying Woman
8. The Plague of the Zombies
9. Spoorloos
10. Alucarda
11. The Black Pit of Dr. M
12. Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter
13. Mill of the Stone Women
14. Shock Waves
15. The Queen of Spades
16. The Ninth Gate
17. Mark of the Devil
18. Race with the Devil
19. A Tale of Two Sisters
20. Scream of Fear

6/10

Inner Sanctum (1948)

"Any more news about the gal who had her heart manicured?", 18 July 2018

Harold Dunlap (Charles Russell) commits a murder on what he believes to be a deserted train platform.  However, the platform isn’t as empty as it seems. The witness is a young boy named Mike (Dale Belding) who, at first, isn’t quite sure what he’s seen.  Over time, however, Mike understands he’s seen a murder. With Dunlap closing in, can he escape in time and notify the authorities before he becomes the next victim.

Inner Sanctum will never make it on a “Best of Film Noir” list, but it’s a decent little film that I found entertaining.  Dunlap (Charles Russell), is a ruthless character, capable of just about anything - even murdering a child. Hiding in plain sight in the same boarding house where Mike lives is a nice touch that leads to some interesting situations.  Dunlap makes several attempts to get rid of young Mike - like suggesting he go out at night to see the flooded river. The fact that Dunlap and Mike share a room only adds to the tension. The framing device used to tell the story is also a nice touch.  At first I thought having a psychic telling Dunlap’s story to a stranger was odd and misplaced, but it all makes sense in the end. At 62 minutes, Lew Landers’ direction is snappy with, other than one notable exception - the beer can scene, no wasted minutes.  The film moves at a nice pace. The films’ technical aspects (lighting, cinematography, set design, etc.) are all more than adequate - falling somewhere between that of a big studio production on one end and a Poverty Row production on the other.

While I could probably list a number of things about the Inner Sanctum that bothered me (like the annoying Dale Belding or the misplaced comedy for example), I suppose my chief complaint would be the lack of any real character development.  We know Dunlap is a murderer and a killer, but we have not idea why or what motivates him. He’s just a murderer - nothing more. He’s not a fully fleshed-out, three dimensional person. Another example, when another boarding house tenant, Jean Maxwell (Mary Beth Hughes), falls for Dunlap, there’s really no reason for it to happen.  She falls for Dunlap because she’s expected to fall for Dunlap. While the runtime might have made for a quick moving film, it hurts the overall movie by cutting out the time that might have been devoted to better understanding the characters and their motivations.

In the end, the good outweighs the bad and I can easily rate Inner Sanctum a 6/10.

6/10

Mission to Venice (1964)

A muddled plot, 16 July 2018

A man named Michael Newman (Sean Flynn) is hired by a woman to find her missing husband.  The trail leads to Venice where Newman encounters a group of baddies intent on keeping the man’s whereabouts a secret.  The thugs will do anything, even commit murder, to get what they want.

If my little plot summary sounds vague, it’s because most of the plot of Mission to Venice is incredibly muddled.  I went back and rewatched a couple of scenes to see if I missed something, but no, the details just aren’t there. Still, it’s not an unwatchable example of an early Eurospy film with some decent fight sequences, spy shenanigans, and interesting locations.  A bit “stagey” at times and lacking in real action, but overall, not the worst viewing experience I’ve ever had. I’m sure I would have enjoyed it more had the transfer I watched been better quality. At times, it was a bit like watching a movie through a haze of milk.

I suppose that one of the more interesting things about Mission to Venice is the lead played by Sean Flynn.  Flynn was the son of legendary actor Errol Flynn. He made only a handful of films - most European productions.  Flynn might not have set the world on fire with his acting, but I found him engaging enough. Flynn’s main co-star, Karin Baal, was a real revelation.  I look forward to discovering more of her work.

Finally, I need to mention the score.  Mission to Venice has a catchy, loungey, jazzy score that really works to set the movie’s tone. It’s easily one of the best aspects of the entire film.

4/10